There something about Lotus that really grabs me. I think it might be that the angle is different form the other Executive Assistant titles in the Hit List Agenda crossover. Perhaps I’m able to sympathize more with Lotus as a character than I can with the others which makes the ending of this issue all the more shocking. The issue begins at a funeral that Lotus’ employer Virat is attending. Here we see the appearance of Daniel and Diane Coverdale as they pay their respect to their deceased business partner. If you’ve been following the Hit List Agenda from the beginning, this scene will give you a big clue to the timeline that this story is happening in and finally connected the worlds in an interesting way. After the funeral, Lotus and Virat travel back to India. There Virat tells her that he must travel alone to see his newly acquired school that trains Executive Assistants. Remember, Lotus is not traditionally trained by this school, but still holds the title. Lotus can’t allow Virat to travel alone and makes her own arrangements to be at the school, which will change her life yet again.

The ending makes the entire issue worthwhile as its very, very light on the action. There are several scenes that really seem like they could have done more in terms of the story and the character development, but instead they ended up just long and awkward scenes that muddled through the information the reader needed. It was still a very solid read from beginning to end, but could have used more action. The promise of instant action in the third issue could very well make up for it though. Vince Hernandez does a good job with this issue, just like he did on the first issue. It’s a very different issue form the first as it has basically no action, which means the reader is not treated to Hernandez’s insights during the intense action scenes.

The art is still top notch. I really enjoy the fact that Lotus is sexy and powerful, but she doesn’t come off gushing of anything other than confidence. Not once do you look at her as a character and ogle her with your eyes, but rather respect her as a character. Oliver Nome is great up and coming talent and he’s paving his way to a long career with this series. Nome showed in this issue that he could tackle more than just action as he did in the last issue, instead he showed that he could make conversations visually interesting and could show deep emotional moments between characters.

This series and Orchid have stood out to me as the best in the crossover as each of them offer something unique and really put out a solid product. Lotus in particular has been striking with its art and story from the very beginning and there are no signs of it letting up. I thought that the ending of Orchid was going to be exciting, but after seeing the amazing splash page at the end of this issue I’m really looking forward to Lotus’ conclusion.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Vince Hernandez

Artist: Oliver Nome

Publisher: Aspen Comics

Price: $3.50